News Makers 2013

Doctor offers some advice on maximizing physician visits

George Abraham, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor of medicine, offers advice to listeners at the Senior Spectacular health fair on how to make the most of doctor visits.Worcester Telegram & Gazette

10 - 28 - 13

Central Mass. Firms Feel Sting Of Federal Budget Cuts

Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor in Medicine, executive deputy chancellor, provost, dean of the School of Medicine and professor of pediatrics and microbiology & physiological systems, is quoted in an article about the effects of federal spending cuts related to sequestration.Worcester Business Journal

10 - 28 - 13

Rural Scholars Raise Issue of Aging Vineyard Population

Students from the University of Massachusetts Medical School are working with on a project funded by grants from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and the Mass in Motion programs to provide a more aging-friendly environment for the elderly population on Martha’s Vineyard.Vineyard Gazette

10 - 28 - 13

Scientist talks about long road for research into potential Down syndrome treatment

Jeanne B. Lawrence, PhD, professor of cell & developmental biology, talks to reporters at the American Society of Human Genetics about how her discovery of a way to switch off the extra chromosome linked to Down syndrome in human cells is yielding new insights into the disease.Boston GlobeBoston.comBio-IT World

Coexisting pain tied to worse knee replacement outcomes

David Ayers, MD, the Arthur M. Pappas, MD, Chair in Orthopedics and chair and professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation, is quoted in an article about the effects of total knee replacement on post-operative physical function.Medical Xpress

10 - 25 - 13

Symposium discusses tobacco ban on college campuses

A symposium on banning tobacco products on college and university campuses in Massachusetts was held at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In the article, Chancellor Michael F. Collins, MD, talks about how UMMS became tobacco free back in 2008.Worcester Telegram & Gazette

10 - 24 - 13

EUREKA grant to fund development of new 'optogenetic' technique for mapping neural networks at UMMS

Gang Han, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology, has received a $1.3 million EUREKA (Exceptional Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration) grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop light activated nanoparticles that can be used to image live brain tissue.Phys.orgNews Medical

10 - 24 - 13

UMass Med To Help Mich. Control Medicaid Costs

The State of Michigan has awarded UMass Medical School’s Center for Health Care Financing (CHCF) a three-year, $3 million contract to assist with cost control of Michigan’s Medicaid program by helping the state maximize access to federal Medicare benefits for eligible residents.Worcester Business Journal

When the ‘baby blues’ are something more

In an article about postpartum depression, Nicole Caligiuri, a clinical trial patient enrolled in a study for postpartum depression at UMass Medical School, talks about her struggles with the condition.Boston Globe

10 - 20 - 13

Conference on health care costs

A conference on price and information transparency in health care will be held at UMass Medical School on October 22nd.Chancellor Michael F. Collins, MD, will be among the opening speakers.Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Research by Joel Richter, PhD, professor of molecular medicine, showed that correcting one genetic mutation with another resulted in normal brain function in mice with Fragile X Syndrome.Worcester Telegram & GazetteMedical XpressR&D

10 - 18 - 13

Obesity rate decreases for Mass. Children

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health the percentage of overweight or obese students dropped 3.7 percentage points, to 30.6 percent. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School participated in the study.Worcester Telegram & GazetteBoston Globe

10 - 17 - 13

From darkness to light: Dance lifts young woman from depression

Barry N. Feldman, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, is quoted in an article about mental health issues among children and adolescents.Worcester Magazine

Mindfulness over matters

Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor emeritus of medicine and founder of the Center for Mindfulness at UMMS, addressed the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) about the effectiveness of mindfulness training in countering the pressures and effects of anxiety, stress, chronic pain, and illness on the body, mind, and brain.Harvard Gazette

10 - 17 - 13

Weight Watchers Tech Combo Beats Self-help for Weight Loss

An article about the success rate of the Weight Watcher’s program includes comments from Sherry Pagoto, PhD, associate professor of medicine, about how counseling and face-to-face meetings were the most important predictors of a successful outcome.Medscape

First responders still in grip of Marathon’s horror

Christina H. Hernon, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine, is interviewed for a story about how Marathon bombings victims and first responders are coping with the effects of the event after six months.Boston Globe

10 - 15 - 13

Promising Cancer Research from UMass Medical School

10 - 13 - 13

Harr Challenge raises $53,747 for cancer walk

Harr Motor Group raised $53,747 in support of the UMass Medicine Cancer Walk. The money raised goes directly to research and patient care at the UMass Medicine Cancer Center of Excellence to improve treatment and work towards a cure.Worcester Telegram & Gazette

10 - 13 - 13

Picking a career path

The Oct. 13 Boston Globe Magazine features a photo essay on nine, fourth-year medical students from UMass Medical School. In the introduction to the photo essay Chancellor Michael F. Collins, MD, addresses the virtues of primary care and what makes UMMS different from other medical schools. Featured students include Nicholas Avgerinos, Odette Taha, Paula Hercule, Daniel Wemple, Andrea Posa, Courtney Sullivan, Kathleen Goble, Dimas Espinola and Soana Laguerre.Boston Globe

10 - 11 - 13

UMass Medical School ranks high in study of policies on conflict of interest

The University of Massachusetts Medical School ranked highly in a study of medical schools' policies regarding conflicts of interest.Worcester Telegram & Gazette

10 - 10 - 13

A focus on coordinated care

An op-ed by Patrick Hughes, president and CEO of Fallon Community Health Plan, references a study by UMass Medical School which found that patients are satisfied with Senior Care Options, an insurance program that provides all-inclusive care to seniors who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.Worcester Telegram & Gazette

10 - 10 - 13

How the Aging Population Is Changing the Healthcare System

An article about the effects the aging population has on the healthcare system includes comments from Sarah McGee, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor of medicine.Everyday Health

10 - 10 - 13

UMass Medical School Clinical Services Director Sworn in as President of the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association

James Gagnon, PharmD, director of Clinical Services for UMass Medical School Clinical Pharmacy Services, has been named president of the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association (MPhA).Enhanced Online NewsWakefield Patch

Awakening genes that suppress tumors

A study by Michael R. Green, MD, PhD, professor of molecular medicine, identifies a new pathway of tumor suppressor genes which could have implications for treatment of certain cancers. The study appears online in the journal Genes and Development.Health Canal

A recent study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, found that the risk of postmenopausal women dying from invasive breast cancer was 30 percent lower among multivitamin/mineral users compared with non-users. Researches at UMass Medical School collaborated on the study.The Sacramento Bee

10 - 09 - 13

No fad: Attitude keeps pounds away

Sherry Pagoto, PhD, associate professor of medicine, is quoted in an article about her call for an end to the “diet debates,” a commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Herald Tribune

10 - 09 - 13

Russia's Terrifying Form Of 'Homemade Heroin' Seems To Be Spreading Across The US

UMass Medical School Professor and Vice Chair of Neurobiology Vivian Budnik, PhD, has received a $1.3 million EUREKA grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to explore nuclear envelope budding, a mechanism that may lead to a new understanding of various tissue dystrophies and aging disorders.Phys.orgNews Medical

Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor in Medicine and professor of pediatrics and microbiology & physiological systems, was recently inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.Newswise

10 - 07 - 13

Doctors question high drug prices for rare diseases

Brian P. O’Sullivan, a professor of pediatrics, voices concern in the latest issue of JAMA about the unsustainable pricing model pharmaceutical companies are using to develop and market personalized therapeutics and drugs targeting rare diseases.Boston GlobeBoston.com

10 - 07 - 13

Early RA: Fish Oil Reduces Risk for Triple-DMARD Failure

Jonathan Kay, MD, professor of medicine, is quoted in an article on a study about the benefits of fish oil in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. The study was published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.Medscape.com

Westborough's Congregation B'nai Shalom to discuss gun violence

Michael P. Hirsh, MD, professor of pediatric surgery, chief of pediatric surgery & trauma and Worcester’s interim commissioner of public health, will be part of a panel discussing gun violence in Westborough on October 13.Wicked Local Westborough

10 - 02 - 13

No Verdict on Behavioral Strategies to Prevent Kids' Drug Use

Sherry Pagoto, PhD, associate professor of medicine, talks about the need for more research in ways to treat illicit drug use in children and adolescents younger than 18 years.Medscape